Contributors to this thread:
Went to NY first week of May. Bro in law shot a nice tom the day I arrived. He said the best way to cook the breasts are just wrap them in bacon and season with Montreal seasoning then in the crock. To be honest, if you blind folded me and gave me a boot to chew on, I wouldn't have seen a difference. How do you guys cook and keep them somewhat tender?
HINT: Meat thermometer. The second they hit 160 pull them.
- I like to cut them in 2-3" cubes, wrap with bacon (Oscar Meyer Centercut - Thin and short. Pieces big enough for only a wrap or 2) and put them on the grill.
- Now I am hooked on Wild Turkey Burgers. I use bacon instead of the ground pork (who has a 1/4# of ground pork on hand?). I never precook the veggies and usually cook them on the grill. Recipe is from Shotgun Chef at Larry Smith Outdoors. He has a bunch of good recipes.
Wild Turkey Burgers
1 red pepper 1 yellow pepper 1 orange pepper 1 lb wild turkey 1/2 cup Vidalia onion 1/4 lb ground pork hoagy bun any type of cheese mayo *optional salt pepper
Chop peppers and onion to a fine chop and sautee for about 5 min then let cool. Grind 1 lb of wild turkey with 1/4 lb ground pork and combine with the peppers and onion. Mix well and add salt and pepper to taste. Make small patties out of the meat and cook about 7 to 8 minutes in a pan. Place on a hoagy bun with mayo and top with cheese.
Wow... I had no thoughts of using a thermometer. Good tips and will look up Larry Smith. Thanks
Marinate them in olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar or Italian dressing or my favorite Roasted tomato vinegtette. Cook on the grill until it the outside has nice grill marks and then wrap the breasts in tinfoil, turn the heat down and finish. Guaranteed to be moist and tender! If you would like more seasoning, Montreal chicken seasoning is great on turkey and pheasants. I save up the legs from my family's turkeys and smoke them.
I don't prefer it tender. I make mine into jerky.
As I was cleaning my Turkey this morning (sorry - Shotg** - raining), I was so looking forward to some Turkey Leg Soup...my favorite soup. I realized I should post it here.
Simmer 2 Jake legs or 1 Tom leg in big pot until the meat all falls off. Jake 45-60 minutes. Tom 4-14 hours (yes 14). Remove legs/meat and strain broth (may have bone piece, BBs etc). Add bayleaf, chopped onion, celery, carrot, salt and pepper (or any other soup veggie you like). You can add your favorite chicken/turkey seasoning if you like, I don't. Simmer until soft. You can chop the leg meat if you wish and add it back. Jake is ok but big/old Tom is quiet tough/stringy to me. Add dumpling/noodles if you want. I make Shore Lunch/flour (1/2 & 1/2) dumplings, cooked right in the soup.
I was simmering a leg a few years ago when my buddy stopped with some bacon he just smoked (good buddy). The smell coming out the window made him come in the house to see was cooking. He couldn't believe it was just a turkey leg. Now he asks everyone he knows to save the legs for him.
I like cutting breasts into thin strips and light pounding with meat cleaver. I then soak in a soy, mustard, apple vinegar, and red pepper brine for 6-8 hrs and grill on high heat... As stated above, don't overlook, as once strips hit 160-170 degrees F take off. Don't grill too much at once as leftovers suck as wild turkey just gets too dry/tough.
This is not a recipe for those that are in the "Get Fit" thread but if you have a pressure cooker you should give it a try.
2 turkey breast 2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes and juice 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped 2 tablespoons fresh ginger root, peeled and chopped 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 tablespoon paprika 2 teaspoons kosher salt 3/4 cup heavy cream 3/4 cup Greek yogurt 2 teaspoons garam masala 2 teaspoons ground roasted cumin seeds (roast on the stovetop in a small pan) (or just ground cumin) 2 tablespoons cornstarch 2 tablespoons water 1/4 cup firmly packed minced cilantro
DIRECTIONS:
Cut the turkey into squares
Put tomatoes, jalapeno and ginger in a blender or food processor and blend to a fine puree.
Add butter to pressure cooking pot, select Browning. When butter is melted and foam begins to subside, add the turkey pieces, a few at a time, and sear until they are nicely browned all over (about 2-3 minutes per batch). Remove them with a slotted spoon into a bowl and put aside.
Add ground cumin and paprika to the butter in the pot and cook, stirring rapidly, for 10-15 seconds. Add the tomato mixture, salt, cream, yogurt and turkey pieces (with any juices that have accumulated in the bowl) to the pot. Gently stir the turkey bits to coat the pieces. Cover and lock lid in place. Select High Pressure and 5 minutes cook time. When timer beeps, turn off and use a natural pressure release for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes use a quick pressure release to release any remaining pressure.
Stir in the garam masala and roasted cumin. Whisk together cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Stir in to sauce in the pot. Select sauté and bring to a boil. Turn off pressure cooker and stir in minced cilantro.
Grind it and vac seal in size of choice. Meat is a little bland so when making a patty add mustard, soy, hot sauce, liquid smoke or whatever combo you think. Spice it with the usual, pepper, seasoning salt, garlic, ginger, etc. Pan fry in light oil, gently.
I did not realize people actually ate these field carp. If you ever wonder what you are eating just watch your local dairy farmer spread his cow manure. It will not be long and the field carp will show up for the feeding frenzy. You can't make this stuff up;^)
Some good sounding recipes. Thanks for sharing.
Here's my favorite: First I cut the breast in nugget size pieces Then marinate in buttermilk for 8-12 hours. You can add your favorite seasoning if you like. Rinse with cold water and pat dry. Coat using your favorite fish breading....yes I said fish breading. I use Grandma's Brand Heat your fryer oil to 350 deg and cook until golden brown. Do NOT exceed 350 deg or you may burn the coating before the nuggets are cooked through. Use you favorite dipping sauce and you've got the best turkey nuggets you ever tasted.
Tip: On Mothers's Day I could't find any buttermilk in the store so I used 1 Cup 2% milk and 1 TBS lemon juice to create my own buttermilk.
As I read these recipes it seems that most of you go to great lengths to remove the cow manure flavor. A better solution would be not to kill field carp;^)
Another good recipe konk.
Kong are you running peanut oil or what in the fryer?
I would take and cut the breast in steaks, marinate, and grill to the 160. But, I like Konks idea, I will have to try it.
Pasq I used fresh/new vegetable oil. But peanut oil is a better way to go. Key is not to get the oil too hot. Even using vegetable oil if you don't over heat you can use at least a couple of times. I got the idea of using buttermilk from the attached link. Most of the people on there use buttermilk as a marinade for all poultry whether smoking it or grilling it for added juiciness after cooking. Enjoy!
Konk's method works very well, I haven't done the soak in buttermilk portion but I think I might have to try. We generally cut into bite sized nuggets, rinse them, toss in fry magic or my favorite cajun shore lunch and deep fry at 350 until golden brown. A little ranch, barbecue, or hot sauce for dipping and that is the only way I cook them now. We've also done a beer batter no different than fish and have had excellent results as well. Plain old vegetable oil for this guy.
Konk in my opinion yours wins hands down!! Now all I gotta do is get a turkey in that fall!!!
